Recipe from " True Love Recipes "
You will need:
- a large mixing bowl
- a wooden worktop
- a silicone spatula or a metal scraper
- 2 cotton pastry cloths on which to let the dough rise
- a stiff piece of plywood to transfer the dough from the cloth to the pan
- re-milled durum wheat semolina to sprinkle the edge to prevent the dough from sticking
- a baking tray
- a razor blade to make cuts in the top of the baguette before baking it
- a pastry brush or a spray bottle to moisten the pasta before and during cooking
- 1 sachet of dry brewer's yeast or 1 cube of fresh brewer's yeast
- 75 ml warm water (30°C)
- 450-500 g flour 0
- 15 g salt
- 300 ml warm water (25°C)
- mix the yeast in 75 ml of warm water and let it dissolve completely. When the yeast is dissolved, pour it into the flour with the salt and the rest of the water.
- Mix and "cut" the water into the flour with a rubber spatula, pressing firmly to form a dough and ensure all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky. Depending on the humidity, temperature of your kitchen and the type of flour you are using, you may need to add additional flour or water to the dough. To decide if this is necessary, incorporate the flour slowly. Use one hand to knead and keep the other clean to hold the spatula or to add the flour. After 10 minutes of work, the dough should be perfectly smooth and elastic. Tip the dough onto the work surface and let it rest for 3 minutes, while you wash out the bowl. The flour will have absorbed the excess liquid during this short rest.
- Knead the dough well for another 5-10 minutes. Let the dough rest for 3/4 minutes, then knead for another minute. The surface should be smooth and the dough soft and a little sticky. Let it rise in the large oiled bowl in the oven turned off with the light on for about 3 hours until it has tripled in volume.
- Take the dough, pour it onto the work surface. Lightly flour the palms of your hands and flatten the dough, deflating the bubbles. Reform a ball. Turn it over and let it rise again until it has doubled in volume and has formed a dome, for about 2 hours.
- If the dough is wet, sprinkle with a little flour. Divide the dough into 3, 6 or 12 pieces (I divided it into 6 baguettes of 16 cm in length). After cutting the pieces, lift one end and flip it over onto the opposite end, then fold each piece in half. Let it rest for 5 minutes, covering it with a cotton cloth. While the pieces are resting, prepare the cotton cloth, spread out and floured well to prevent the dough from sticking. Shape each baguette by folding it lengthwise and stretching and folding it on itself until it forms a loaf (see photos below). Make sure that the work surface is always lightly floured so that the dough does not stick to the surface.
- Place the baguettes with the smooth side facing up on the cotton cloth, place a fold with the cotton between each baguette and the other and let the pieces rise for 2 hours covered with a cloth. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 250°. Gently transfer the baguettes onto the floured non-stick baking tray, using a baking spatula. Spray the surfaces of the baguettes with water and bake for 25 minutes. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 200°-220°C. (During the first 10 minutes, spray water three more times at 3-minute intervals). Remove from the oven, let cool on the rack for 2 hours and enjoy.
